Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 24

In a split second, Su-ho drew two swords from his inventory and blocked the raven-masked enemy’s attack.

For a fleeting moment, their eyes met in mid-air.

‘What incredible strength.’

‘Not bad.’

Su-ho’s Strength stat was currently at 39. Since he had allocated most of his stat points to Strength, it was his most confident attribute. Yet, the raven-masked figure, with just one oversized arm, matched his strength.

Smash!

Both Su-ho and the raven mask simultaneously jumped back as if they had planned it.

And then, even faster, they launched themselves at each other again.

Flash!

Boom!

Su-ho’s dual swords slashed with immense power, while the raven mask’s oversized arm deflected the blows, smashing into the walls and floor, causing explosions.

All of this happened in just two seconds.

“Ugh!”

Thanks to Su-ho, the raiding party captain narrowly escaped the danger and quickly retreated.

‘What’s going on? How is that summoner… capable of this?’

He was momentarily captivated by Su-ho’s incredible combat prowess, but he didn’t forget his duty.

As a captain, his most crucial ability was assessing the level of the monsters.

In other words, his ability to sense danger.

“It’s a D-rank beast! Everyone, attack!”

He quickly gauged the raven mask’s mana level and shouted to everyone.

“A D-rank?”

The hunters snapped back to their senses and immediately assumed their attack stances.

“Then there’s no problem!”

“Kill it!”

Boom!

The hunters’ skills were unleashed, concentrated on the raven mask fighting Su-ho.

However, the raven mask easily evaded all their attacks and leapt back, clinging to the tunnel wall like a spider.

“D-rank?”

He sneered from the wall.

“You think you can judge me so easily?”

Then, he shoved his non-monstrous arm into his robe.

Slide.

From inside his garment, he pulled out a small potion.

“Is that—?!”

The first to recognize it was Instructor Im.

A shimmering blue liquid that sparkled like starlight.

“Stardust! It’s Stardust! Stop him from drinking it!”

At Instructor Im’s urgent cry, the hunters’ eyes widened.

“Stardust?”

“You mean that mana enhancer?”

There had been rumors circulating among the Hunters for some time.

– There’s a mana-enhancing drug called Stardust.

According to the rumors, consuming Stardust would increase one’s mana for about a week. And it supposedly had no side effects. Of course, it was also very expensive, but that wasn’t a concern. With the increased mana from Stardust, hunters could enter higher-level dungeons and earn much more money.

Because of this, the drug was always in short supply, and people could hardly get their hands on it even if they wanted to.

“Correct.”

The raven mask grinned and brought the potion bottle to his lips beneath the mask.

“Stop him!”

Gulp.

By the time the hunters rushed at him, it was too late.

Crack!

The moment he swallowed the Stardust, his body began to swell rapidly, as if to balance out his already oversized arm.

“Graaaaah!”

With a fierce roar, he kicked off the wall and charged forward.

Boom!

His now massive arms swept through the hunters like a bowling ball knocking down pins.

“Aah!”

The hunters were sent flying in all directions.

“Unbelievable.”

The sight caused the captain’s pupils to shake violently.

His earlier assessment of the raven mask as a D-rank monster was a mistake.

“A C-rank… monster?”

It was completely unexpected. Who could have guessed that Stardust would amplify mana to such an extent?

“Everyone, run! We can’t handle this on our own!”

[Oh? That’s something we’ll only find out by trying.]

“…!”

Suddenly, Beru appeared next to the captain, smirking.

[Our Young Lord has just warmed up.]

“…!”

There was no need to ask who Beru was referring to.

Su-ho was already engaged in battle with the creature alongside his shadow soldiers.

“Shadow Goblins, use your skills!”

[Cackle, cackle!]

Currently, the seven shadow soldiers led by Su-ho consisted of five goblin squad leaders and two goblin hundred-man captains. Each had their own skills, being the leaders of regular goblins.

[Kirakura!]

[A Shadow Goblin uses ‘Skill: Ice Arrow.’]

Swoosh!

A cold ice spear shot out, freezing the raven mask’s leg.

Crack!

In that moment, the raven mask’s massive form, which had been overwhelming Su-ho with sheer size and strength, momentarily faltered.

[Kirakura!]

Sizzle!

An ominous red aura descended upon the creature.

[A Shadow Goblin uses ‘Skill: Blood Curse.’]

[Physical damage taken by the target increases by 15% for 1 minute.]

“…!”

The raven mask’s eyes widened as he was suddenly cursed with reduced mobility and increased damage.

[Cackle!]

The shadow goblins swarmed him, stabbing with butcher knives and saws.

“Ha! Such petty tricks…!”

Crash!

The raven mask shook off the ice on his leg and tore apart the shadow goblins with ease.

However—

[Cackle!]

The shadow goblins chuckled derisively as their torn bodies reattached themselves right where they were.

With eerie movements, they clung to the raven mask’s huge body and began stabbing furiously with their daggers.

“Argh! What the…?!”

For the first time, the raven mask showed a hint of panic.

The weapons wielded by the seven goblins were merely kitchen knives and saws, intended for dismembering beasts.

Even with a 15% damage amplification curse, they didn’t inflict significant damage on him.

But when combined with the relentless regeneration of the goblins, the synergy became impossible to ignore.

[Keh heh! Keh heh heh!]

Stab, stab, stab, stab!

[Cackle! Cackle!]

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash!

[Heh heh heh!]

“You damned leeches!”

The raven mask, now covered in black blood, roared in fury, tearing the goblins off his body and throwing them away.

The more he did so, the more persistently the goblins regenerated and clung to him.

“What the hell is that…?”

The hunters watching the grotesque and brutal battle were aghast.

“How is that a summoned creature…?”

The summoner skills they were familiar with weren’t like this at all. At best, they summoned tiny explosive bugs or a sleep-inducing butterfly to put one or two beasts to sleep. Occasionally, there were hunters with decent summoned creatures, but none as grotesquely persistent as these regenerating monsters.

However, Su-ho’s mana wasn’t limitless either.

‘Regenerating shadow soldiers consumes mana. The longer this drags on, the worse it is for me.’

Thud!

Su-ho’s weapons, Rakhan’s Fang and Horn of Volkan, slashed at the raven mask’s massive body repeatedly.

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash!

The faster his attacks became…

[Effect ‘Critical Wound’: 15% chance to deal over twice the critical damage.]

Rakhan’s Fang’s skill began to shine.

“Graah! You damned…!”

The raven mask glared at Su-ho, the source of all his troubles.

And then, he grabbed!

“…!”

Ignoring the minor goblin attacks, he caught hold of Su-ho’s blade with his massive hand.

“Heh. Finally caught you, you rat.”

Blood oozed from his grip, but he didn’t care.

He wore a wicked grin as he swung his other fist at Su-ho’s side.

Thud!

A sound like a drum bursting.

But—

[‘Skill: Iron Body’ reduces damage.]

Su-ho simply glared at him defiantly.

“Come on, hit me more.”

[Skill: Iron Body Lv.2]

Passive Skill.

No mana required.

You possess an unyielding iron body.

Physical defense increases by 40%.

“You bastard!”

Crash!

The raven mask lifted Su-ho, blade and all, and slammed him into the ground.

“Argh!”

The impact caused Su-ho to cough up blood and drop his sword.

“No, no!”

“Su-ho!”

His ears rang.

He thought he heard Instructor Im’s voice from a distant place.

“Tsk. A weak summoner dares to mock me.”

The raven mask’s mocking voice reached him.

“I guess I’ll use this sword now.”

It seemed he quite liked Su-ho’s sword, which had brought him so much pain.

But Su-ho liked it just as much.

– And who do you think you are?

“Huh?”

At that moment…

Su-ho, lying on the ground, smirked.

– Who dares to covet the sword of the Fang Lord!

“…!”

Shwaaak!

Suddenly, the arm holding Rakhan’s Fang swelled with red veins that seemed ready to burst.

“W-what is this…?!”

He panicked and tried to shake off Rakhan’s Fang, but the corruption had already begun.

Like a glued object, Rakhan’s Fang stuck firmly to his hand and began to invade his body.

– How dare a wretch like you try to wield me? Offer your soul and body to me and die!

“This damned sword!”

The raven mask drew on his power to resist the invasion.

In response, a strange energy suppressed deep within him pushed back against the aura of Rakhan’s Fang.

– Oh? What’s this? A guest already inside?

Rakhan’s Fang chuckled, amused.

– You’ve already had your body taken over by a demon, haven’t you?

“Graaaaah!”

The raven mask roared like a beast and managed to tear Rakhan’s Fang from his hand, throwing it to the ground.

But just then—

Thud!

Su-ho, who had closed the distance in an instant, drove the Horn of Volkan straight into the raven mask’s heart.

“Guh…!”

The raven mask widened his eyes, gasping for breath.

“Checkmate.”

With a swift motion, Su-ho slashed the Horn of Volkan across, cutting the raven mask’s body in half.

Slash!

Black blood sprayed like rain as his bisected body fell to the ground.

The raven mask fell off his face, revealing a horribly disfigured visage that could barely be called human.

“Ugh…”

He spat out his last breath and glared at Su-ho.

“Don’t be too pleased… with killing just one of us…”

“What?”

“Whether sooner or later… you’re all dead anyway…”

With that, he uttered a curse-like last breath.

“…Just like the Radir family was destroyed.”

His eyes lost their light.

At that moment—

Whoosh!

[The Horn of Volkan devours the soul of the demon.]

The Horn of Volkan absorbed the sinister energy from his body.

[Devoured Demon Souls: 1]

[Effect ‘Destructive Urge’: Physical damage increased by [31%].]

“A demon?”

Su-ho’s eyes flashed with realization. Just as he had initially suspected, the reason the Cursed Random Box gave him the Horn of Volkan was precisely for this.

[Your level has increased!]

Flash!

Su-ho’s entire body was enveloped in a soft blue light, and all his injuries were completely healed.

Su-ho pondered the raven mask’s last words.

“…But the Radir family? What does that mean?”

[Did he say the Radir family was destroyed?]

Just then, Beru approached Su-ho and tilted his head in curiosity.

“Do you know what that is?”

[Of course. The Radir family was a clan of demon nobility. Though they were among the weakest, ranked 20th in the demon hierarchy… However…]

Beru squinted his eyes and stared intently at the low-ranking demon’s corpse.

[Long ago, due to our lord wiping out all the demon clans from rank 1 to 19, the Radir family suddenly became the top-ranked demon family.]